Dom Pérignon Rosé: rich and to be drunk generously

A few days ago, Teatro della Pergola in Florence dressed up in pink. In fact, in rosé: Dom Pérignon’s art of millesime got on the stage of the famous Florentine theatre for a show dedicated to Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005. 

The words of Vincent Chaperon, oenologist of the French maison, introduced a Champagne which, by its own nature is to be considered a homage to Pinot Noir. Three grapes characterise it: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir from the best Grand Cru and then some added red wine, also from Pinot Noir grapes.

It is true that they don’t make any red wine in Champagne, and in order to make some you need to make use of warmer areas, such as Hautvillers, where Dom Pérignon cultivates its grapes which are then vinified to make red wine. At that point, at the end of the Vallée de la Marne, the valley opens in the shape of an amphitheatre and Pinot Noir finds its ideal microclimate so as to give more power, structure and a greater maturity to Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005.

2005 was a peculiar year: sun and heat were all the rage until September when as harvest time approached rain lowered the temperature and botrytis appeared. Thus a drastic selection was made necessary in order to obtain a limited but exceptional harvest.

In this vintage, the hands of the chef de cave Richard Geoffroy and of Vincent Chaperon made a rosé in which the vibrations of the fruit balance its nature, creating the right tension between maturity and freshness.

A show of lights and sounds was the setting for the magical charm of Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005, which enchanted the guests during a magnificent dinner on the stage of the theatre, created by the chefs of creative Japanese-Italian restaurant Iyo in Milan (one Michelin star).

A menu in which Chianina and Wagyu beef met to give life to one of the most surprising dishes of the evening, Sushi Iyo. Three nigiri, one with seared Wagyu beef, garnished with homemade goat’s milk ricotta and fresh wasabi, one with Wagyu beef seasoned with white miso, sesame oil and sanshō, one with Chianina beef seasoned with Persian blue salt and olive oil. Then came the seared Wagyu beef gunkan and finally the Wagyu steak tartare.

This was paired with the étoile of the theatre, Dom Pérignon Rosé 2005: rich, voluptuous, complex and immediate. A Champagne leaving nothing to chance, to be drunk generously.